In the prairie provinces of Canada as well as in other climatically similar regions located in other countries, the cultivation of higher yielding winter crops is impractical due to the severe winter conditions. Spring seeding is, in spite of temperatures conducive for the germination of seeds, usually delayed by three to four weeks due to adverse weather conditions, such as morning frost, high winds and excess moisture. With the relatively short growing periods available, this delay in seeding frequently prevents timely maturing of the crop and, as a rule, reflects adversely in yields and qualities of various crops.
Other areas of the world have different but equally vexatious climatic problems to the attainment of a maximum growing season. For example, some areas have a short rainy season in the spring which is sufficient with the natural seed to induce germination but insufficient to bring the crop to maturity. That season is followed by an arid period during which the young seedlings will have a high mortality. Subsequently, the optimum conditions arrive but too late to save much of the crop. If planting is delayed until the optimum conditions, obviously a significant part of the growing season is used up in the induction of germination. If planted too early the germinated seeds will perish.
Still other areas have different climatic cycles that make attainment of the maximum period of optimum growing time virtually impossible in a practical sense.